good afternoon, i'm cheryl jennings. >> i'm dan ashley. authorities investigating a deadly limb scene fire released a final report confirming what abc 7 news first reported weeks ago. a mechanical problem is to blame for the fire that killed five women. >> sky 7 hd shows first responders may 4th. today, investigators say they determined the suspension system failed. the drive shaft came into the

contact with the floor board)$añ sparking a fire spreading through the interior. >> some tragedies are crimes, some are not. this one is not. and there will not be any criminal charge autos five women died of smoke inhalation. four survived. they were celebrating because one of them was getting married. >> as you just heard the report cleared everyone involved of criminal negligence for the tragedy. certainly a huge relief to the driver, the target of at least some of the blame by victims' families. >> laura anthony spoke with him this afternoon and joins us now with reaction. laura? >> hi, cheryl this has been a tough three months for the driver. he did interviews early on, including one with abc 7 news but once fingers started pointing towards him he's been mostly quiet on the advice of attorneys we met with brown, his brother and father near the family home.

clearing him of any criminal wrong doing. >> i'm talking with my attorneys they told me months ago that the only thing that may happen was a civil suit. as far as no criminal charges i mean, it's been stressful, though. b it's been real stress wfl allegations and with requesting my phone records and that stuff. >> now, brown had to endure weeks of public scrutiny not only of that night but his life. recently his estranged wife claims brown was talking on the phone with her just before the accident. today, investigators said clearly they examined phone records he was in the talking on the phone in minutes policedding the fire, we'll hear more tonight on abc 7

news at 5:00. >> thank you very much. coming up you're going to hear from the first 911 calls on the night of the fire. >> marine mammal center sent a team of veterinarians to find out why this young whale died after becoming stranded in marin&2&ñ county. >> abc 7 news reporter wayne freedman is live with the sad story. wayne? >> that large crowd surrounding the whale and doctors are looking into the whale, they're doing a necropsy trying to figure out what might have been the cause of death. they know it was alive when coming on shore this morning and then, hours later it died. let's look back. this has been a day of discovery. you're looking at the gruesome

part here. >> it's a lot of work. you need big knifes and people to help you get access to organs. >> it's a necrops on a whale that washed ashore this morning. >> we're hoping to see a happy sendoff. it's not so. >> it was still alive at 7:00 when i got here and died about a quarter to 10:00. one last push to try to get off shore. >> the marine mammal center describes it as a young calf separated from his mother, and already in did distress when it arrived this, is an endangered species. only 3200 remains knowing the cause of death more crucial. >> everything we can get access to, we'll open up. we'll look at the heart and lungs and take samples from observation for toxicology. >> as morning led to afternoon

teams hope to have the equipment digging a final resting place. it's been a race of sorts. a large object of curiosity. >> what do i tell the kids? well smrks times the world doesn't always -- they aren't always healthy so they're watching the shore and spirits go up to heaven. >> if you take ut to the water dwoising to wash up a 60 ton problem. in marin county wayne freedman abc 7 news. >> that is a shame there. is a red flag warning for the bay area. >> high fire danger signs posted today. cal fire says additional firefighters gorg to be on duty. >> resources are strained fighting wildfires up and down state. spencer christian is off. sandhya pat jell here with the accuweather update. >> yes. with dry lightning possibility

fire danger remains high. as you look at live doppler 7 we have our own radar and it's tracking some moisture. numerous lighting strikes showing up, so far around the state over 1500 lightning strikes. very active pattern. as you look at the loop here moisture rotating from east moving west off shore is where we're seeing strikes but can't rule them out over land, either, which is why a red flag warning is in effect for east bay, mountains santa cruz mountains until 11:00 a.m. flag warning for north bay valleys and mountains until 5:00 wednesday night. so the threat remains there through mid week. as we look at our view you can see moisture drifting in. into san jose. a chance of thunderstorms.

temperatures varying with fog and clouds. could be thender there and possible into afternoon. cooler day, i'll let you know when things stabilize in just a few minutes. >> thank you very much. fire crews face tough conditions because of winds pushing a wildfire in butte county threatening more than 400 structures. and their animals. the fire burned about 2000 acres on friday. it is at this moment 45% contained. right now there are 5,000 firefighters battling 10 wildfires across california. >> some residents returning to their homes today near a large wildfire in idaho. evacuation orders remain in effect for residents of 2000 other homes in the path of the fever creek fire that burned 160 square miles since breaking out 12 days ago, about 8% contained. thousands of homes are at risk

including mansions owned by celebrities. >> brisbane police need help solving a cold murder case this,ed whoel shows what rims might have looked like. the white female remains found in january partially buried on san bruno mountain. she was in her 30s and maybe 40s when she died fchl you recognize here you're urged to contact the police immediately. >> the san francisco fire department on the defensive these pictures appeared showing aftermath of the asiana airlines crash when a fire rig ran over a plane's survivor. malgs were recorded by a battalion chief using a helmet cam. the fire chief being criticized not for pictures but for telling temperatures they cannot take pictures or record video when responding to a call. >> we understand importance of what is captured on that video. and... it's -- it's helpful.

however, we do have a policy in place and it has been violated. >> san francisco fire department says the intan not new arks pt dopted four years ago. the department will reskpru consider making changes. >> of a double homicide investigation in oakland turns out to have been a tragic murder suicide involving a family battling serious health problems. neighbors say the 6 66 -- 88-year-old was the primary care giver to his 57-year-old gaud pleejic daughter. police say he shot his daughter then himself. >> an attorney for lester chambers just announced $5 million lawsuit against the city of hayward. from this attack captured on monday. the lawsuit names bay area blue society and the woman seen shoving chambers on stage. it happened moments after

dedicating a song to family of trayvon martin. she faces elder abuse charges. attorney general john buress wants the case prosecuted as a hate crime. >> the governor says despite a judge ruling california high speed rail project not following planning rules it will be built. last week a judge ruled it broke promises made to voters and said today it did not stop anything. >> still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00 he tried to warn them, one man taking measures to get attention of mark zuckerberg and the problem with his web site. >> plus, new bling you can be seeing on next generation of iphones. >> new jersey governor chris christie making a ruling affecting gay teenagers. >> michael finney taking your

questions and will answer them later on. so you can contact michael on facebook.com and on twitter. >> we'll be right back. a look at traffic outside. traffic isn't as bad as it could be at the time of the day. but going to the bridge is not

a palestinin computer expert had a way to prove to facebook he found a bug. he attacked the private page of markp zuckerberg allowing anyone to post anything. after being ignored by security team he posted the issue on zuckerberg's page to prove his point. >> just decide whyfñ. allowing people to make public with this money. >> the bug has since been fixed. facebook says despite the good inintentions he rok the rules and will not get a reward. >> a big apple bet for skill

skillo -- zillow and web site outrajz hit amazon. >> good afternoon, real estate web site zillow is paying $50 million to acquire street easy it will allow zillow to expand it's foot bring in the new york area. gm is said to be offering wireless charge as loug drivers to place their phones on a power mat surface to charge. a major outage hit amazon's u.s. and canadian stores today. amazon blamed it on a technical issue. google and "new york times" sites were impacted last week.

u.s. stocks fell today giving s and p the first four day decline this year. your bloomberg silicon valley index led by a share. part of the efforts to get more followers hiring jennifer prince helping the company pitch new ways to movie and tv marketer that's they can use the social giant's platform. from bloomberg studios, back to you. >> thank you. >> summer vacation is ending when spaghetti searches spike. yahoo reports a big increase on how to cook spaghetti. an indication college students are leaving home and looking for ways to make their own meals and reports searches how to write a check and how to do

laundry. college students aren't the only ones heading back to class. reachers fueling a 121% increase for cute welcome back bulletin boards. and backpacks rise, searches are off the charts but there is no need to search for a new alarm clock. you can down load smart phone ñ alarm clock app to start with bay area news, headlines, live doppler 7 hd and traffic alerts. visit abc 7 news.com/app for detail autos have you seen different smart phone design choices but want something more flashy perhaps apple reporting to offer iphone in a gold color. the gold won't be like in a gold bar but a champagne color. the golden touch is one of a series of rumors surrounding apple's next iphone.

the device is also rumored to feature a fingerprint. >> they get buzz going on. >> yes. >> spencer christian is away. >> yes. sandhya patel is here. nice weekend. the week off to a good start, too. >> it is. our live doppler 7 is watching thunderstorms just flaring up so we do have a possibility here in the bay area. that is why fire danger remains up. live doppler 7 hd and as you look it has been really nice and sunny in parts of the bay area. cloud cover up towards clover dale. and moisture is just rotating back towards west. you can see numerous strike as cross sierra nevada, northern california and west of the bay area here. so far, 1700 now around the entire state. and as you look at our view from our golden gate bridge

camera couldn't tell there are thunderstorms because this bridge camera just showing you a shock soked in view. 63 in san francisco. foggy in parts of the san francisco area on the west side. oakland 706789 redwood city 80 degrees. you can see from our mount tamalpais camera fog layer is shallow. 91 in novato. triple digits inland. livermore up to 103. 91 in concord from our lake tahoe camera, clouds right now. they have possibility of scattered showers and thunderstorms in the fblgt. -- forecast. so do we. chance of thunderstorms through wednesday with a red flag warning remains up. cooler next two days here locally. you'll see what is coming up here, area of low pressure gf southwest of the bay area it's drawing up moisture, you get a lift from hills with heating from the sun. that is what is creating instability. waves of instability will continue so we're going keep

in possibility of isolated thunderstorms or showers throughout wednesday morning. wednesday evening, drier air starts to spread north. the low starts to lift north, northeast. tomorrow morning it's mild really warm in spots like antioch. 68 degrees partly cloudy skies. 57 san francisco. most areas will be into mid-50s to upper 60s. san jose, 84 in the south bay. on the peninsula, 82 redwood city. mild along the coast. mid-60s. in the north bay upper 70s in be santa rosa. east bay 74 oakland. inland communities 90 in livermore, 86 concord so cooler and there is still a possibility of thunderstorms isolated tomorrow into wednesday morning and then,

the threat kind of ends into evening hours. drier, warmer thursday, friday, only for temperatures to fall again by weekend in 80s inland. >> thank you. >> coming up here next how much would you pay for this beauty? a rare 1967 red ferrari. a beauty. and new after 4:30. >> the last few weeks have been just a different emotional experience. >> prince william's first interview since becoming a father. what he

breaking entertainment news, actor dick van dyke is fine after being rescued from this burning car in los angeles county. there wasn't much left of the van. it's an old jaguar. patrol responded to a report of a burning vehicle that have the noon. tmz reporting a good samaritan rescued the 87-year-old after spotting a car full of smoke and seeing a man hunched over the wheel. his wife treat tweeted he's fine thank god. >> this rare ferrari has set a world record foremost expensive car ever sold in a public auction. the red ferrari is one of only

10 ever built. profit goesing to charity. gorgeous. >> it's a beauty. >> today stars giving back and a change to chris brown's concert schedule. >> yes. here is today's on the red carpet report. >> hollywood mourning the death of lee thompson young. young rose to fame on the disney show "the famous jet jackson" and starring on a show. this is a look at the facebook page. hundreds of fan fans are commenting on the tragedy. stars are also expressing their sadness. writing my heart is broken today, ri fo. my dear friend and brother. writing partner, friend, brother, heartache. now to singer chris brown removed from a summer concert series in canada. a promoter says they made the decision after conver waigs

saigs with brown also in light with personal and health-related issues. he suffered a seizure this month and a judge reinstated his probation due to his alleged involve nmt a hit and run accident. now to young tv stars from neighbors and comedy "back in the game". stars took time to hand out backpacks to kids in a boys and girls club in southern california. >> coming out and volunteering is an obvious thing boy like to do. it's a privilege to get to do this stuff. >> returning to abc september 20th and back in the game premiering september 25th. for more go to otrc.com. >> still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00 baseball steroid scandal gets uglier. >> a piece of safety equipment installed on a new bay bridge. we'll have a live report on the project. >> also, decision from new jersey governor chris christie today that affects gay

teenagers. >> later on its not

we're counting down to the new bay bridge opening. >> getting close. a piece of equipment installed

to make sure the bridge is safe. >> here is a look. the bridge going to be shut down five full days beginning next week, wednesday night mean fug have it already it's tim to start making alternate plan autos abc 7 news is live on treasure island with more. >> yes. we've been through full closures before but never with a brand new bridge on the other end of it. never with so little time to plan. in 2007 tennessee volunteer football fans were given months of advance warning about the closure this, time it's northwestern and that notification went in just today to those fans after we asked if that call had been made. the closure is coming a week from wednesday. these green models show the system allowing the bay bridge to reopen, a back up to broken bolt flz a part of the bridge

designed for earthquake safety. the shims were installed over the weekend. the bridge is on track for full closure, officials counting on commuters having learned something in 2007 and 2009. >> on the other hand we zront as much time near the magnitude as conducted in 2007, 2009 it's probably a bit of a wash. >> if you must drive the alternate is the san mateo bridge. >> you go over san francisco bridge every morning we're going to have to go around. >> do you have any idea how much time it's going to add? >> another hour. >> to the north it's richmond san rafael and golden gate. there is now now stopping at the all-electronic,nf5t el toll

gates. bart will have hourly but deacon wants to know it's safe, first. >> i'll be across it. >> you don't want to be one of the first? >> not one of the first. >> well, we're now 15 days from the opening of the nur bay bridge. stay with us for the big opening on september 3. >> in south africa paraolympic champion has been indicted on charges of murdering his girlfriend. he he wiped away tears today, the charges follow td valentine's day shooting death of his girlfriend. she would have been 30 today. prosecutors say witnesses heard a woman screaming before the sound of gunshots were fired. the double amputee nicknamed blade runner admits to

shooting her several times through the bathroom door but claims he mistook her as an intruder. he faces charge of illegal possession of ammunition going on trial next march. >> tonight the san francisco giants host boston at home after a pitch jer accused of going after alex rodriguez and today, major league baseball issues a challenge to rodriguez's lawyer to mairk public the evidence that led to his suspension. abc news reporter has more on this baseball steroid scandal. >> slugger al ep yechl rodriguez is swinging back. the anger spilled on to the diamond with this ball. rodriguez drill bid boston red sox pitcher. nearly everyone thought it was

on purp we have one player hitting another player because of what that other player is alleged to have done. >> a rod whacked a home run helping propel the yankees to a win it was the ultimate pay back. >> major league baseball suspended rodriguez for allegedly doping and obstructing baseball's investigation. a rod's attorney accused of the yankees management of conspiring to force him out of the game. >> we'll have been found not responsible. >> tacapino accuses yankees of hiding mri results. rodriguez performed poorly and was benched. he claims the teams wanted

rodriguez to fail. in a sign of how ugly this has become the yankees general began mer -- manager says he's uncomfortable speaking to a rod. >> new jersey joins california as the other other state to ban therapists to try tozg%y convert gay teens into being straight. saying they believe people are born gay and being gay is not a sin. gay right advocates are urging christie to reverse opposition to gay marriage. today, christie raised more speck blaigs a po teshl white house run. >> we can stick to our principles and still come together to compromise, compromise is not a dirty word. the way the country was build. built. we need to get things done for people that elect us. >> he believes health risks

outweigh worries over government limiting the choice of parents. christie signed another bill giving ill children easier access to medical marijuana. >> a new zealand couple celebrated the legalization of same-sex marriage tying the knot on a plane at 39,000 feet. the star of "modern family" and his husband were along for the ride. they walked down the aisle holding bouquets and won a promotion by air new zealand and have been together 13 years with three foster children. >> and still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00 new study about tanning beds and teenager autos plus, an american prisoner of war's prized possession returned to the family. >> i'm michael finney. today q and a is just ahead.

i'm still taking your questions. you can pass them along to me. you can contact me at facebook.comtn5p? and on twitte, i'll answer questions here live in just a little bit you can see fog in the foreground. hazy sunshine in the background now. there is showers and thunderstorms red flag warnings remain up. >> take a look at the skyway. >> cars head together bay bridge. backed up there. >> dan

look at this scene in japan. clean up operations underway now. in the area, people had to use masks to protect themselves. the falling ash look at the whiteout conditions. it's something they're used to. the volcano erupted 500 times so far this year. >> wow. >> the world war ii veteran never lived to see it again but his children are now cherishing a ring they thought was gone forever. david cox junior opened a package contained aviator's signet ring his father received as a gift when commissioned to the army in

1942. one year later he spent the rest of the war in a p.o.w.camp. he treated his ring to an italian p.o.w.for chocolate candy. >> he probably told the story to me twice, maybe three times. i think he was remorseful he'd done it. >> wow, the man living in germany had the ring 30 skbreers asked his american neighbor to search online that. led to the cox family. >> i wonder how he got that back. >> gives me goose bumps. >> we have as you look at live doppler 7 lightning strikes here. i want to show them to you.

good thing is, this stuff is moving from east moving west. we can't rule out some of this actually developing over the bay area. so isolated lightning possible. red flag warning for dry lightning. east bay interior valleys, mountains. the red flag warnings will remain up until wednesday, 5:00 p.m. for north bay and the threat will remain here, you can see showers and thunder. 83 in atlanta. 88 in new york. 111 degrees in phoenix. it's going to be hot state wide. 92 yosemite. 64 eureka.

bay area, cool weather temperatures low 90s inland, still warm there. mid-60s to low 70s along the coast. we'll see still possibility of thunderstorms. >> coming up, new pictures of a royal baby. >> prince william opens up good b.his role at home now z what surprises him most about his son. >> i'm michael finney. does your fast track work only in northern california? and are work from home offers ever legit?

a court just granted permission on a forced hunger strike. it's a protest against solitary confinement in state prison.

they're eating a partial meal but officials and doctors want authorities to step in if that changes and they haven't. >> healthy living news researchers say tanning beds and found since 1992 the rate of melanoma has risen 3% every year for white women 15-39 saying problem is 29% of the white high school girls use tanning beds saying indoor tanning before age 25 can double the risk of skin cancer there are 20,000 tanning salons in the united states. >> prince william is sitting down for an interview. >> yes. the royal family is releasing a new picture. >> it's the first time we've

seen prince george with his opening bup what it's like to be a new father. >> it was a world debut fit for a few tour king. new dad says he was happy to show off new prince george. prince will yam sat down for a first interview since welcoming their sochbl he isn't a month old but his dad says he has quite the personality. >> he's a bit of a rascal. >> prince william sounds smitten but when it comes to sleep habits he sounded like any new exhausted parent. >> he's up a lot at night. catherine is very fantastic. >> hearts melted around the world and he scored major points for making sure the car

seat was secure. >> i practice that had seat. >> the prince surprised onlookers by chauffeuring the family home. >> i think driving your son and wife away from the hospital is very important to me. he i don't like fuss. >> he's a modern dad saying he changed the first diaper. >> the diaper was, i had every mid wife there saying you do it. you do it. >> he has a passion for saving endangered animals in africa. >> at the moment only legacy i want to pass on is sleep more. >> michael finney is here answering questions sent to him by facebook. does my fast track transponder only work in northern california?

we drive in southern california and on the toll road there's. >> great question. there is a state law they have to be interactive here is a tip. you need to get fast track from them down there. because it can turn to a fee. you've got your fast track tied to bridge or road you're on. and then, other stuff you're down there. >> it's like a cell phone version of a roaming charge. >> yes. >> my credit card number was stolen and someone created a new card but very my card. i assume they got it off of a receipt. should i shred receipts? >> rets now, take a look. this is something i foughtcí.

if you take a look only ret that's have numbers -- does anyone use machine that's go like that, they're aloud to have your numbers. it was probably, your card was compromised out on the internet probably or your bank or it could have happened anywhere. doubtful it came from a receipt. >> terry r asked this question. my kids are now in school until 3:00. i want to go back to work. what are thoughts from work from home offers? >> putting it like that, it's probably a rip off. talking about stuffing envelopes is bogus, medical billers rippoff make jewelry rippoff don't get involved in those. to task rab yitd.com. -- task rabbit.com or

elance.com. he's f.they're tl is something do you put it on craig's list. you'll hear from someone that will hire you. there is ways to make money at home. there weren't a number of years ago. you can make money but not with schemes you hear about. >> too good to be true. >> yes. >> coming up at 6:00 p.m. back to school series tonight. saving money on athletic shoes to computers tonight at 6:00 here on abc 7. on 6:00 and 11:00 this week. >> a lot of ways tosaaa2mpve aat of money. thank you. >> sure. >> up next you're going to see what police officers around the bay area are doing. thousands of students return to school this week. and coming up at 5:00... >> how many people were there? >> i heard screaming and saying nine people. >> emergency calls give us a

more clear picture of what happened when a limo caught fire on the san mateo bridge. hear the way dispatchers handle that had emergency. >> how some couples having trouble having a baby are turning to social media for help with fertility treatments. the stories and more coming up on abc 7 news at 5:00.

these youngsters joined thousands today on the first day of classes in san francisco public schools. police here tell abc 7 news they're keeping an eye on streets around the schools. that means you might see motorcycle officers making sure drivers follow rules of the road especially at the start and end of the day as we get going again at the beginning of the year. in mountain view there are increased patrols in the school zone. >> matt keller has more on the

first day of school. students aren't the only ones learning lessons on the first day of school. >> he said he was running late. >> police will be showing up in more rear view mirrors as most kids head back to class today. common problems officers see on the@ú(ñ roadses are distractd drivers texting or calling on cell phones, speeding and not stopping when a pedestrian is in a crosswalk. parents notice how dangerous it can be. >> people speed through people are unobservant of kids around especially with the crosswalk near-miss autos once in the classroom officials say students will notice a focus on 21 century skills. some students are focused on their social life. >> when are you most excited about? meeting my friends again.

>> others hungry to dig into book autos really excited i'm going to get new home work. >> you're excited about home work? >> i really like school. >> mountain view police say you can follow their twitter page and just in case you're wondering will cost the driver about that light. >> abc 7 news at 5:00 begins right now. >> case closed. an official call released for deadly limo fire along with 911 calls getting more insight into the tragedy. live coverage is ahead. >> his fate in the hands of strangers. >> i'm sandhya patel. live doppler 7 tracking a lit ning storm after shore.

where the fire danger will remain high. >> people are out there. >> that is one of the 911 calls in mai. official cause just revealed confirming what abc 7 news first reported several weeks ago. >> chp says the investigation shows a mechanical fire sparked by a catastrophic failure of the lismo rear suspension system. tragic, but no criminal authorities say. however, public utilities commission is fining the operator for having too many passengers on board that night. we have live team coverage for you tonight

including reaction from the driver. >> as reported last friday investigators concluded that was a tragic accident. >> we have concluded the fire was accidental. >> some tragedies are crimes, some are not this, one is not. there will not be criminal charges. >> chp and district attorneys investigators today confirmed what abc 7 news reported friday. that the fire cause bid a mechanical failure in which five women were killed. >> the primary catalyst in this tragedy was catastrophic failure of the rear suspension system which allowed the vehicle drive shaft to come into contact with the floor pan. a crime krit cal component are air shocks. our sources say it's likely the